Red Sox Insider Provides Update On Trade Talks With Marlins

The market for starting pitching has yet to heat up, with less than a day remaining until the July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline. With several intriguing names like Joe Ryan, Mackenzie Gore and Mitch Keller still reportedly available for the right price, it’s only a matter of time before the first major piece falls off the board.

The Boston Red Sox have so far remained quiet while other American League East teams, like the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, have already made deals ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Currently in the mix for a Wild Card spot, the Red Sox front office has plenty of incentive to acquire the players they need to help put the team in a position to secure their first postseason appearance since the 2021 season.

With chief baseball officer of the Red Sox, Craig Breslow, reportedly searching for upgrades to address the starting rotation, MassLive‘s Sean McAdam reports that the Miami Marlins continue to stand firm when speaking to teams interested in acquiring highly coveted starting pitchers Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara.

“The Miami Marlins have two of the better controllable starters available in Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera,” said McAdam. “As recently as 10 days ago, when the Red Sox called to inquire about Alcantara’s availability, the message they seemed to be saying, according to someone with knowledge of the talks, was: “Don’t move him without checking back with us.”

While there’s plenty of interest among contenders about trading for Alcantara and Cabrera, the cost to acquire the right-handers will certainly not be cheap, according to McAdams’ sources.

“But since then, there’s been little contact between the Marlins and Red Sox,” said McAdam. “That could stem from the high asking price for either pitcher, which according to a source, “starts with two elite prospects… plus.”

While the Red Sox have a surplus of top prospects at their disposal, acquiring a former Cy Young Award winner such as Alcantara, whose contract keeps him under team control through the 2027 season, represents an all-in commitment that will require a haul of prospects being sent to Miami to get a deal done.

Making his return to the mound this season after rehabbing his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2023, Alcantara has produced a disappointing record of 6-9 with a career-worst 6.36 ERA in 21 starts.

Cabrera has been the more consistent of the pair this season with a record of 4-5 and a 3.35 ERA in 18 starts. With the Marlins currently in rebuild mode and sitting 10 games back of the New York Mets in the National League East division, it remains possible Miami will hold onto the 27-year-old and focus on contending next season.